


as the world caves in

by stillhangingon



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Angst, End of the World, First time writing angst, M/M, Reincarnation, Song-inspired, is this even sad enough to be angst?, levi and erwin are probably teachers or office workers or smth, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26047408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stillhangingon/pseuds/stillhangingon
Summary: levi and erwin dance to the dying sounds of the earth. levi recalls flashes of a life he doesn't know.
Relationships: Levi/Erwin Smith
Comments: 6
Kudos: 25





	as the world caves in

"Levi?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do you remember when we met?"  
  
"Of course I do, I'm not an old man like you." Erwin chuckles and the warm sound rumbles gently throughout the two bodies pressed together, slowly swaying to music only the two men could hear.  
  
_His hair was whipping as he flew over several houses, several other men quickly keeping up with him. Levi looks to his either side and sees two people. A young girl with a beaming smile and a blonde man. Levi doesn’t know their names but he feels deep fondness for them. ___

____

____

"I spilled coffee on you and you cursed me out so much I thought you would have killed me right there" Erwin reminisces.  
Levi scoffs, thumping his husband's chest and leaving his fist to rest right above his softly beating heart. Erwin gently places his palm over the shorter man's fist, pressing a kiss to the callouses that had formed over the years.  
  
  
_Levi once again sees himself pulling out a dagger, his arm laced with the intent to kill but he never connects with flesh. Instead it hits a long blade and Erwin’s face peeks out from underneath the pine green hood underneath. ___

____

____

"Well, you're still here. That's redeeming for my character." Levi replied.  
"It must have been my charm."  
"Don't flatter yourself, you were stumbling over your words and ended up making even more of a mess" Levi smiled at the memory, most people thought of Erwin as stern and unexpressive but Levi had had the wonderful luck of being able to meet Erwin under not so desirable circumstances which caused the usually stoic man to be flustered.  
  
_Levi then sees short flashes of the two of them. Erwin shouting at a crowd of young adults with grim faces. Him and Erwin drinking tea in their shared bedroom. Occasionally they are joined by their loud friend Hanji.  
Erwin missing an arm and bed-ridden as Levi stands before him. ___

____

____

"But you fell in love with me anyway." Levi looks up at him only to find Erwin looking back at him with that aquamarine gaze. A gaze that usually lacked warmth unless it was turned towards Levi himself. A gaze with so much love that had never wavered even once in their 20 years together. The gaze of a man Levi was more than happy to welcome even death with.  
  
_The two of them are in their room now, Erwin sitting behind his desk with the afternoon light silhouetting him.  
Levi is threatening that he’ll break his legs. It’s a suicide mission, Levi is saying._

____

____

"Levi? Are you okay?" He hadn't noticed that his vision had turned blurry and wetness trailed down his cheeks. Erwin's large warm hands hurriedly came up to cup his face and Levi wrapped his own hands around his husband’s, almost like a desperate plea to the universe to please let him keep this one single thing in his life.  
  
_They are being barraged with rocks with a few battered houses only keeping them alive. Levi is kneeling before Erwin.  
‘Thank you Levi’, Erwin says. His eyes still look the same. ___

____

____

"I love you, Erwin." At those words, his husband's eyes grew brighter but now with a sheen of tears, the dark lighting giving Erwin the illusion of tears of silver.  
"I love you too, Levi." Levi smiled at that, went up on his tiptoes and kissed his husband with all the unspoken words, broken promises and love he could possibly fit in something as gossamer as a kiss. 

_Levi is flying again, cutting through several giant humanoid creatures with deadly swift. He feels rage. So much rage and sadness. Erwin is nowhere to be found. ___

____

____

Levi pulls back and looks at his husband one more time heightening his senses, burning his face into memory, unblocking the sirens going off outside, finally noticing the rapidly growing ball of light that managed to be visible even through the curtains, hoping to be able to bring this moment into the afterlife.  
  
_Levi is now between two dying bodies and a huge weight on his shoulders.To decide between one seemingly burnt to death and Erwin with a giant chunk off his abdomen gone. He wants to cry in relief. He can save Erwin. He grips the case tighter to his chest.  
Looking at Erwin, Levi feels a dark weight blanket over him._

____

____

_He had let him go when Levi had promised Erwin. ___

____

____

_Levi surrenders the case. ___

____

____

Levi smiles at his husband, and Erwin smiles back, knowing. Always knowing. His eyes seeming to say all the things they could never speak at once.  
And as humanity's curtain was abruptly drawn to a close, only the stars were able to bear witness of a love that had been snuffed out like countless others.

**Author's Note:**

> wrote this right after i saw an edit of them to the song 'as the world caves in'. first time writing angst, constructive criticism would be appreciated
> 
> I yell a lot abt EruRi on my [tumblr](http://jaegerboob.tumblr.com/) so check it out plss <3  
> also in my [twitter](https://twitter.com/stillhangingonn)


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